US Greenland Agreement Clears Way for Two Military Sites

The United States, Denmark and Greenland have signed an agreement allowing the US to establish military sites at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and Mestersvig on the east coast. The deal, signed on 22 September during the UN General Assembly in New York, expands US access to the Arctic territory while reaffirming the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.

The agreement also permits the US to modernise and expand activities at Pituffik Space Base, its existing active base in Greenland. The three governments must still agree on technical details for the two additional sites. No opening dates were given in the published agreement.

Narsarsuaq hosted a US base during the Cold War. Mestersvig is an existing Danish outpost used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol. Reuters identified the locations before the signing, citing people familiar with the negotiations; the subsequently published agreement names both sites.

The text calls for stronger NATO engagement in the Arctic, including planning, exercises and intelligence gathering. It also recognises the parties’ interest in a proposed US Golden Dome missile defence system. Any further defence areas would require a proposal and consultations under the agreement’s procedures.

The accord follows months of disagreement over President Donald Trump’s earlier push for US control of Greenland. Danish and Greenlandic leaders have maintained that the island’s sovereignty and its people’s right to decide their future must be respected. The signed text explicitly recognises both principles.